In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan [Hardcover]

Seth G. Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0393068986 | ISBN-13: 978-0393068986 | Edition: 1

A definitive account of the American experience in Afghanistan from the rise of the Taliban to the depths of the insurgency.

After the swift defeat of the Taliban in 2001, American optimism has steadily evaporated in the face of mounting violence; a new “war of a thousand cuts” has now brought the country to its knees. In the Graveyard of Empires is a political history of Afghanistan in the “Age of Terror” from 2001 to 2009, exploring the fundamental tragedy of America’s longest war since Vietnam.

After a brief survey of the great empires in Afghanistan—the campaigns of Alexander the Great, the British in the era of Kipling, and the late Soviet Union—Seth G. Jones examines the central question of our own war: how did an insurgency develop? Following the September 11 attacks, the United States successfully overthrew the Taliban regime. It established security throughout the country—killing, capturing, or scattering most of al Qa’ida’s senior operatives—and Afghanistan finally began to emerge from more than two decades of struggle and conflict. But Jones argues that as early as 2001 planning for the Iraq War siphoned off resources and talented personnel, undermining the gains that had been made. After eight years, he says, the United States has managed to push al Qa’ida’s headquarters about one hundred miles across the border into Pakistan, the distance from New York to Philadelphia.

While observing the tense and often adversarial relationship between NATO allies in the Coalition, Jones—who has distinguished himself at RAND and was recently named by Esquire as one of the “Best and Brightest” young policy experts—introduces us to key figures on both sides of the war. Harnessing important new research and integrating thousands of declassified government documents, Jones then analyzes the insurgency from a historical and structural point of view, showing how a rising drug trade, poor security forces, and pervasive corruption undermined the Karzai government, while Americans abandoned a successful strategy, failed to provide the necessary support, and allowed a growing sanctuary for insurgents in Pakistan to catalyze the Taliban resurgence.

Examining what has worked thus far—and what has not—this serious and important book underscores the challenges we face in stabilizing the country and explains where we went wrong and what we must do if the United States is to avoid the disastrous fate that has befallen many of the great world powers to enter the region. 12 maps and charts

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since 2001, RAND Corporation political scientist Jones (The Rise of European Security Cooperation) has been observing the reinvigorated insurgency in Afghanistan and weighing the potency of its threat to the country's future and American interests in the region. Jones finds the roots of the re-emergence in the expected areas: the deterioration of security after the ousting of the Taliban regime in 2002, the U.S.'s focus on Iraq as its foreign policy priority and Pakistan's role as a haven for insurgents. He revisits Afghan history, specifically the invasions by the British in the mid- and late-19th century and the Russians in the late-20th to rue how little the U.S. has learned from these two previous wars. He sheds light on why Pakistan—a consistent supporter of the Taliban—continues to be a key player in the region's future. Jones makes important arguments for the inclusion of local leaders, particularly in rural regions, but his diligent panorama of the situation fails to consider whether the war in Afghanistan is already lost. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“No one understands the successes and failures of American policy in Afghanistan better than Seth Jones....If you read just one book about the Taliban, terrorism, and the United States, this is the place to start.” (Jeremi Suri, Professor of history, University of Wisconsin )

“[D]estined to become the standard text on America's involvement in Afghanistan. It is a timely and important work, without peer in terms of both its scholarship and the author's intimate knowledge of the country, the insurgency threatening it, and the challenges in defeating it.” (Professor Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University and author of Inside Terrorism )

“A deeply researched, clearly written, and well-analyzed account of the failures of American policies in Afghanistan, In the Graveyard of Empires lays out a plan to avoid a potential quagmire. This timely book will be mandatory reading for policymakers from Washington to Kabul but it will also help to inform Americans who want to understand what is likely to be the greatest foreign policy challenge of the Obama administration.” (Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I Know )

“Seth Jones has the answer to the million-dollar question….until Seth Jones, nobody actually sought an empirical answer. Nobody crunched the numbers.” (John H. Richardson - Esquire )

“I've just started reading Seth Jones's book on the war in Afghanistan, In the Graveyard of Empires, which someone told me is going to be the Fiasco of that war.” (Thomas E. Ricks, bestselling author of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, Foreign Policy )

“[Jones] zero[es] in on what went awry after America’s successful routing of the Taliban in late 2001. His narrative is fleshed out with information from declassified government documents and interviews with military officers, diplomats and national security experts familiar with events on the ground in Afghanistan.” (Michiko Kakutani - The New York Times )

“This is a serious work that should be factored in as a new policy as Afghanistan evolves.” (Jay Freeman - Booklist )

“Readers keeping up with the wars in the region will want this [book].” (Library Journal )

“History justifies Jones's worries…Jones may have written a blueprint for winning in a region that has historically brought mighty armies to their knees.” (Doug Childers - Richmond Times-Dispatch )

“Gauging whether the US and its allies can succeed in Afghanistan is only part of what Jones’s excellent book is about.” (James Blitz - Financial Times )

“A useful and generally lively account of what can go wrong when outsiders venture onto the Afghan landscape. Those ventures have generally not turned out well…This is ominous, because [Jones] knows too much about recent interventions for his pessimism to be disregarded.” (Steven Simon - Foreign Affairs )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (July 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393068986
• ISBN-13: 978-0393068986
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Seth G. Jones serves as an advisor and plans officer for the Commanding General, U.S. Special Operations Forces, in Afghanistan. He lives outside of Washington, DC, and contributes regularly to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Jones was named one of 2008's 'Best and Brightest' young policy experts by Esquire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, July 10, 2009

By 

Robert Eddy (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan (Hardcover)

I have served in Afghanistan several times, so was interested in an examination of U.S. efforts there. I was pleasantly surprised. "In the Graveyard of Empires" is the best book I've read on the current situation in Afghanistan. Period. I was particularly impressed by two issues.

The first was the careful, balanced, and detailed look at the rise of the insurgency. Jones's book is not political, but rather thoroughly researched with well over a thousand footnotes -- many of them primary sources (including his own interviews). I suspect there are few, if any, Americans who have the detailed, on-the-ground knowledge of the country that Jones has. The second was the historical nature of the book. Jones looks briefly at the Alexander the Great era, but has some great chapters up front that cite declassified U.S., KGB, and other intelligence assessments. Really solid work.

In sum, I would strongly recommend this book to any one -- Republican, Democrat, independent, or other -- that has an interest in Afghanistan. This is the best there is on the market.

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book on Afghanistan, September 4, 2009

By 

Bart Rogers (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan (Hardcover)

I have worked for a range of non-governmental organizations in South Asia for nearly three decades, including in Afghanistan several times during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. I have also read most of the good books on Afghanistan -- such as Ahmed Rashid's "Taliban" and "Descent into Chaos," Steve Coll's "Ghost Wars," Louis Dupree's phenomenal "Afghanistan," and the work of many others like Thomas Barfield, Antonio Giustozzi, and Abdulkader Sinno. So I consider myself fairly well-versed on the ground truths and academic/policy research.

In that vein, this book is fantastic. It is solid in its accuracy and careful, balanced research. And it exposes a range of challenges faced in Afghanistan and the mistakes (and successes) made by the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan governments.

In sum, there is no better book on Afghanistan today -- and how we got here. In addition, the short discussion on Afghanistan in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s is just enough to bring people up to speed on lessons from Afghanistan's recent history.

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good general review of OEF 2001-2008, June 23, 2009

By 

Adam Strickland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan (Hardcover)

As a military professional with more than a general understanding of Afghanistan and the current operating environment, this was a "must purchase" for me. While the book did not provide me with any NEW insights into the operating environment, it did not disappoint as a very clearly written and detailed overview of US operations from 2001-2008. This will become a must read for members of my staff trying to develop an understanding of the problem-set in Afghanistan.